


Tim Needs To Grow Up

by UltimateSaturn



Category: Batman (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Coming of Age, F/M, Friendship, Growing Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 10:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17702648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UltimateSaturn/pseuds/UltimateSaturn
Summary: After showing promise in his skills, Batman wants Tim to join the Titans but he isn't sure about where his place is in the world. He needs to blow off some steam with his friends, Stephanie Brown and Harper Row.





	Tim Needs To Grow Up

Sitting on a dirty old rooftop he looked over at the scene in front of him. Drug dealers were getting their stock from a supplier in an alleyway in Bristol. Him and Batman were setting everything up for their operation. This 17 year old boy waited for his mentor to give him the go ahead, briskly pulling out his phone he found a message from a certain purple clad friend of his. 

“Heya we’re staking out a gang in Coventry want to come with?” Said the girl over text.

The boy smiled. “Um... Maybe I'm not sure, but I'll try.” He replied quickly shutting it down after Batman   
finished the set up. 

He gave him a nod.

It was time. Tim Drake otherwise known to Gotham's underworld as Robin leaped from the roof and used his cape to land on the dealer’s car cracking a few Windows in the process.

The thugs all looked at him in bewilderment, they'd all heard of them but none actually thought they'd run into Gotham's dynamic duo. He heard whispers of “it’s Robin” amongst other obscenities.

“Leave the drugs and drop guns.” He called out but it couldn't help his soft voice and slight hesitation in his speech.

Eventually one of the thugs who was holding a tommy gun asked the dreaded question as he looked around “where's Batman?”.

“here.” Came a husky voice from behind him which was quickly obscured by him being grabbed by the dark Knight and pulled up a grapnel line causing numerous amounts of screaming.

Robin readied his staff while pressing a button on a trigger which caused several small charges around the alleyway to go off. Sparks flew everywhere allowing for the boy to easily start disposing of the criminals despite the lack of natural finesse in his skills. Batman soon joined with the two of them working together to dismantle the operation. Robin was focusing on disorientating and blind sighting his opponents whereas batman was using each distraction to deal devastating blows on the thugs.

Eventually they had almost literally mopped the floor with them. As they tied the criminals up a call came from Oracle on Batman's earpiece.

“So how did he do?” Barbara asked already seeming to know the answer.

“Admirably, I think he's ready.” Bruce said while looking at his young protégé zip tying a few thugs together.   
As police sirens wailed from the distance the two of them grappled away to a rooftop overlooking an elevated train station.

“So how did I do?” Tim asked nervously.

Batman uncharacteristically smiled in response, “Very well, I think you're ready to join the Titans.” 

As the words left his mentor's mouth many thoughts went through the boy’s mind, eventually the one he managed to say aloud was “I'm not sure.” 

Bruce took a step towards him. “this is an opportunity for you to do a lot of good Tim. I know you have the skills.”

“I know and I want to but... I um. I just don't know what I want anymore.” He replied looking everywhere but Bruce’s eyes.

“You need to learn to focus, you've got a brilliant mind but you hesitate. Don’t miss opportunities like this. But I won’t force you. You need to make a decision, I trust you’ll make the right one for yourself.” Bruce said while holding onto Tim’s shoulders. Things changing wasn’t something he liked, but he would have to get used to it in this job.

Bruce took a few steps towards the edge of the roof and turned to Tim. “you're night may be over but mine isn't, come to the cave tomorrow when you've made your decision.” He then spread his cape and jumped off the building into the night leaving Tim to contemplate on his own.

What did he want?

Suddenly the announcement from the train station near the building caught him off guard, nearly making him jump. 

“This is the 5:15am train to Coventry”

Tim took a deep breath and realised he needed to clear his head. Taking a few steps back he made a running start to a glide off of the building and onto the roof of the train.

 

At a dilapidated skate park behind a warehouse in Coventry two girls were fighting off a dozen or so thugs wielding maces and baseball bats. They were BlueBird and Spoiler, Harper Row and Stephanie Brown. The former of which was using her knowledge of electronics to create numerous gadgets that could dispose of assailants while the latter used her escrima sticks and quick whit to tackle the obstacles in front of her. 

As the sky turned orange they each handled a few thugs, trading the ones in the centre constantly. Harper used an electric stun gun to shock an enemy then ran up to him with a grapnel using it to throw him into a group of others shocking them all in the process. Another thug was spinning his mace around as he ran towards Spoiler who then used one of her batons to block the mace then judo flipping him over to the ground using his body to trip over another thug before doing a flip kick on an enemy behind her. 

The girls kept laughing and giggling at each other the two 19 year olds were having a blast beating down these simple goons. In retaliation a couple of the thugs brought out hand guns on the vigilantes. After dodging several bullets they hid behind two adjacent skate ramps. 

“Ok so if you do your shocky thing will that work?” Stephanie asked.

“Team that up with a glue trap and we’ll be kicking their asses again!” Harper exclaimed in excitement.

“They're called gooperangs bitch!” Steph laughed as she readied one.

Before they could throw their oddly named devices two red and black projectiles swung around the crime scene knocking down the weapons from the thugs' hands and curved back to a figure behind the two girls.  
Robin caught his batarangs and holstered them. 

“Hey guys.” He said happily with a dorky wave.   
Steph and Harper got up and readied their weapons again. 

“Yay we got the prince of Gotham to steal all the credit!” Steph said sarcastically as the 3 of them   
rushed the thugs who were now realising how screwed they were. Spoiler smacked several to the ground then she and Robin both kicked a larger thug down a half pipe. Bluebird used a pair of electric whips to slam two thugs into each other giving them a brutal shock, Robin came down between the two to finish the job with his staff striking one of the thugs in the chest and the other in the back then twisting around to knock them both down with a final strike. 

The three of them then formed a circle to finish up the remnants. Spoiler connected her two sticks together to form a Billy club and then broke it over a thug’s bald head, Bluebird countered a punch from a moustached thug then moved underneath their legs and slammed her taser onto his neck. 

Robin countered each attacked his enemy was sending him with his staff in a horizontal position then swept him off his feet onto his backside with his staff and then taking it in both hands and striking him in the chest to knock him out.

The three teens looked around at their work and smiled to each other.

“We didn’t think you’d show boy wonder.” Harper smiled while stepping away to kick a moaning thug in the face.

“It was past his bedtime.” Steph mockingly defended him while giving him a punch to the shoulder, making him smile.

“I thought your boss told ya to stay away from us?” Harper turned to Tim with a smirk.

Tim took a moment to answer, he was disobeying Batman's orders by hanging out with them, he'd usually never disobey him but he needed this. “he um... Doesn't know I'm here.

Harper laughed and walked up to him and patted his shoulder “what's this? Hanging out with the bad kids.” She said, finding the situation hilarious.

“I guess it's our job to corrupt you!” Steph said shooting him a flirty look with her eyes, making Tim go red.

“For starters your diet! Onwards to Big Belly Burger!!!” Harper exclaimed dragging the two down the alley.

 

As the morning came the three of them sat on a rooftop overlooking Coventry’s town centre admiring the view while eating junk food. It was bliss to put it lightly, the three of them acted like a normal trio of teens, despite Harper pushing 20 soon. 

“So you guys see that JLX trailer?” Harper asked.

“My God a porn parody of the justice league I can’t Frickin wait! It’s gonna be hilarious!” Stephanie laughed.

“They're making what?” Tim said literally spitting out his drink. 

“What do you live in a cave or something? You have to see this!” Harper exclaimed bringing out her phone.

Despite the awkwardness of watching a trailer for a porn parody of the UN's team of heroes, it was lovely to just be the presence of the only two people in the world who made him feel normal. 

Once the embarrassingly funny exploits of the trailer ended Tim found himself resting his head on Stephanie's and then awkwardly pulling away which made her smile. 

Reading the room or roof in this case Harper picked up their trash. “I'll go toss this in the dumpster, be back in a few minutes.” Harper said shooting Steph a wink.

“So Rob... How’s everything in Batland? You seem more emo than usual.” Steph asked, cocking her head to the side. 

Robin took a deep breath and turned to his blonde friend, with really pretty hair and scent of lavender despite the superhero sweat, and he really needed to focus on what he wanted to say.

“Batman wants me to join the Teen Titans.” He exhaled.

“Woah that’s so cool! I mean especially after that video it seems like heaven!” Steph replied enthusiastically, then noticed the drop in Robin’s expression and put her hand on his forearm. 

“Yeah I know, I guess, I guess I don’t really know what I want, the whole reason I became Robin was because Batman needed me. And I just want to continue having a purpose, but on the Titans there's so many amazing people who I know next to nothing about and I’m just not sure I want to be on everyone’s radar. And I know it’s a big opportunity and everything, not to mention the responsibility but I just don’t know I want it, nor do I know what I really want.” Tim then looked down, both from exhaustion from talking so much and also because he didn't know what her expression would be.

“...Fuck Batman!” She replied nonchalantly, which got Tim to laugh at the massive tonal change. “Robin, you are putting this pressure on yourself, it's obvious that Titans isn't for you, and it's bad for your mental health if you keep doing things for other people.” Tim looked up at her, she seemed to be saying just what he needed to hear and he didn't realise it before.

“I get it, after we caught my father I didn’t know who I was. I became Spoiler to take him down but I also couldn't just leave it behind. I needed to feel like a worthwhile human being. You're just a kid Robin, and I mean that in a good way. The expression you had on your face when we were fighting was pure happiness. Do what makes you happy. You're seeking someone's approval, you need to accept yourself.” Like a brick to the face she told him exactly what he needed.

He needed to be himself and make a choice, but instead of thinking objectively he needed to think about one thing. What is going to make him happy? What is the best thing for him? He effortlessly managed to smile at her, she placed her arm around him and gave him a squeeze as they locked eyes. 

Tim looked at her face, there was a small scar from earlier but all he saw was a girl who genuinely cared about him. He didn't even notice that her mask was off till now. How effortlessly it was for her to be herself around him, it was peaceful to think about. He knew what he wanted. 

Suddenly he found himself lying on her shoulder again with her cape draped around the two of them. 

He fell asleep and looks like she joined him. 

Suddenly a paper ball struck him in the head waking both him and Steph up completely.

“Finally! I've been waiting for you straights to wake up for like an hour!” It was Harper laughing at the two while sitting a few feet away. 

As the three of them laughed Tim stood up and adjusted his uniform.

“Where are you off to without an adult?” Harper asked causing another small round of giggles.

“There's something I need to do, I'll call you guys later.” Tim said walking to the edge of the building.

“Take care boy wonder!” Steph told him while he grappled away.

Tim finally arrived in the batcave where he found Bruce at the computer analysing some data. The hardened vigilante turned to his young protégé who walked with a purpose down the platform leading to the terminal.  
“So I'm guessing you have made a decision?” Batman said while standing up to address him.

“Yes, the Titans, they aren’t for me. I know that's what you want, what you expect me to do. But it's not me, I'm out of my element there. I just want to be me.

“I see, does this include associating yourself with the two individuals I told you not to?” Batman replied. He knew he spent the better part of the morning with Steph and Harper, of course he knew, he was Batman.

“They're my friends.” Tim replied, holding his ground.

“They're reckless and I don't trust them “ Batman crossed his arms.

“I know you don't, but you trust me and you should be able to trust me to make these decisions. I mean the Titans started out with just Dick, Troia and the other sidekicks just hanging out on weekends. They're such a strong team because they trust each other. And I trust Steph and Harper, I feel safe and collected when I'm with them. What I know is, is that this is what makes me happy.” Tim replied. Looking down but also being firm with Bruce by the end of his statement.

He looked up to seeing Bruce smile once more, he stepped forward and placed an hand on the teen's shoulder. 

“This was a test?” Tim asked.

“No, not quite, I do think the Titans is a good choice for you, but I want you to be content in your own choices as a hero, essentially that’s what I’m always testing you on. I saw your performance statistics from your fight earlier. It was in a new league when you were with them. I may not fully trust those two but I do trust you, if you think this is the right call, then please do it.” Bruce said with an almost father like tone. 

The only thing Tim could do, was smile. “So can I...”

“No you can't tell them who you are!” Batman cut him off.

“Worth a try.” He muttered, giving a sly smile.

Guess he's gonna have to lie to Bruce about something now.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! I tried to relate this to a lot of what teenagers deal with a lot. I aged up the characters a bit to make it more relatable. 
> 
> Please leave a comment if you can! :)


End file.
